Tsukana Chiyumi, the Vampire Blade
by Lialane Graest
Summary: When Tsukana Chiyumi was eleven she discovered that she was a weapon, and her twin sister Shiyumi was a meister. This wasn't able to keep their parents from being killed in a home invasion or Shiyumi from also dying. Enrolling at the DWMA she is partnered with Professor Stein, who can cope with her ability, but as the years pass, will Chiyumi be able to? T for violence. On hold.
1. Prologue

_ My name is Tsukana Chiyumi. I am also known as the Vampire Blade. I am a new student at the DWMA, though I am finding some difficulties there. Given my... reputation, I have no meister, and it seems that that is not something that will not be changing anytime soon. It's a sad, lonely existence, and I am constantly afraid I will rust before I find someone._

_ Why is it so difficult? The reason for that is clear. I feed off of the energy of my meister's soul. The stronger their soul, the more I can feed while in weapon form, and the stronger my soul and power become. Unfortunately, this means that I can draw too much and, well, kill my meister. That was a lesson that my sister and I learned far too late... Death bless her. I miss her._

_ But enough already. School is starting soon and I can't be late. Thanks, diary, for listening._

Chiyumi stood up, clearing her head and looked around the small apartment. _'Now where did I leave the apartment key? Can't go anywhere without that_.' Shaking her jet black hair, Chiyumi's sea green eyes roamed over the apartment, trying desperately to remember where they could have been left.

_ 'Aha, found you!' _Triumphantly, Chiyumi snatched the keys out from the couch cushion and stepped out of her apartment, locking the door behind her. Momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight, she heard a loud voice shouting from the street.

"Listen up, this is Black Star talking! That's right, the biggest star you'll ever see! And I dare any of you to make it to the academy before me!"

Looking down, Chiyumi saw four individuals walking along the street, and as she watched, the two boys darted off down the street while the two girls just laughed. Chiyumi restrained herself from joining in the race, knowing all too well what would happen if an uninvited stranger were to join in.

On the street, Maka blinked and looked up at the balcony where Chiyumi stood watching Black Star and Soul. Giving it her best grin she called up to her.

"Hi! I'm Maka! This is Tsubaki! We're heading to the academy if you'd like to join us!" Tsubaki waved up at Chiyumi as well.

"Hey, Tsubaki, I'm not normally one to speak about how people's soul's look... but I'm worried about hers... its all small and frayed. It looks broken." Maka whispered to Tsubaki as they awaited Chiyumi's response.

On the balcony, Chiyumi froze. _'They're offering to walk with me? But I don't know them. I'm a stranger and strangers can't be trusted... why would they place themselves in harm's way like that? Why would they ask me to? Strangers can't be trusted...'_

Taking a deep breath, Chiyumi called, "Thanks, but I think I forgot some stuff inside." before darting back into her apartment.

"Well that was weird." Maka said.

"You're right, she looked terrified at the thought of walking to school with us... we're not covered in gore or anything that I know of." Tsubaki laughed.

Before the conversation could continue, there was a massive crash ahead and they went rushing off to see which of the boys had caused it.

Chiyumi sat in her apartment, breathing heavy, on the verge of tears. '_Strangers can't be trusted... never forget that. They took your mom and dad. Strangers can't be trusted. They cost you Shiyumi.' _Breaking into tears, Chiyumi collapsed onto the couch, and couldn't stop crying for the next twenty minutes.

_ 'Now you've done it, dummy. They wouldn't want to see you crying with your makeup all smeared and late for school. Those kids were just trying to be nice.'_

Taking a deep breath, Chiyumi opened her apartment door just as a tall, blue skinned man was getting ready to knock on it. Stifling a scream, Chiyumi staggered back.

"I'm very sorry to have startled you. I was sent to see if you knew the way, Lord Death is anxious to see you start your schooling, and knew I wouldn't mind coming to help you. You see, that's the kind of man I was. Sid, by the way. I'm a teacher at the DWMA."

"Thanks, I had just forgotten a few things and had to come back for them. I'm on my way now." Sid nodded as Chiyumi left her apartment and locked the door.

"I hope you don't mind if I walk with you, we're both going to the academy, and this way I can honestly tell Lord Death I saw you safely to the academy."

"Of course not... thank you..." Inside her head, Chiyumi kept hearing, _'He's a stranger. Don't go with him. He can't be trusted. Run. Flee.'_

But she forced herself to follow him, always out of arm's reach.

* * *

The next few days were, to normal people, fairly uneventful. To Chiyumi though, they were a whirlwind of strangers and high blood pressure. Twice she fainted when too many people were around her and once she hid in an unused room until she heard the bells for the end of the school day.

Fortunately, Sid was her teacher, and by the 4th day she was able to sit through his class, huddled into her corner as he droned on and on about this or that. Shiyumi knew she should be paying attention, but found it difficult to as the people closest to her continually shifted or moved. Shiyumi took deep breaths, trying to calm herself as much as she could to pay attention when another teacher rolled into Sid's classroom. Literally.

The man wore a stitched white lab coat and had what looked like a giant screw through his head. Even worse, she could see the stitching on his face, which framed one eye like a grotesque picture. But, what made it worse was that he was talking with Sid and they both kept glancing up at where she was sitting.

"All right, class dismissed!" Sid called out. "Chiyumi, stay back please."

Terrified, Chiyumi walked to the front of the class, keeping Sid between her and this new stranger. "Yes, Professor?" She managed to squeak out, her inner self screaming at her, _'Stranger. Run. Flee. Dangerous. Insane. Run. Flee. Stranger.'_

"Chiyumi, I want you to meet Professor Stein. You'll be transferring into his class starting on the new school week on Lord Death's request. That's class Crescent Moon. You should get acquainted before then. Go easy on her, Stein." Sid said then stood, walking past Stein.

"Wait! You can't leave me with him alone! He's a stranger!" Chiyumi shouted before Sid could leave the room, instantly regretting the words. "I'm so sorry... but... you're a stranger..."

"Like I said, go easy Stein." Sid left.

Chiyumi could feel the tears welling up, and before she knew, she was in a corner, crying.

"Now, there's no need for that Ms. Tsukana. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to welcome you to my class and invite you to observe some remediel lessons some of my other students are currently performing. Also, there is another request of Lord Death's that must be discussed."

Chiyumi looked up at the man slowly wheeling the chair closer to her. "What's that?" She whispered, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Stein stopped a few inches away from her and said calmly, "You are a meisterless weapon, and Lord Death is aware of the reason why. As such he won't pair you with a student. I am a weaponless meister and Lord Death would have me train you."

"You're a stranger. No. I can't. Even if you weren't, I couldn't. You don't understand. I can't. I just can't." Chiyumi broke down crying. _'He's a stranger. He'd just hurt you. You can't, Chimi, you can't let him wield you. You can't risk hurting him either.'_

"You're going to have to get over this fear, Chiyumi. You're a strong, capable, intelligent young woman. There's no need for it. No one here will hurt you." Stein reached one hand out, touching her shoulder. "Now, let's go introduce you to your classmates and you can watch their lesson."

Chiyumi stood, and nodded. Some part of her wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt her, even while every other part of her screamed her fear.

She followed him out of the room.

* * *

A/N

This is my first Soul Eater fan fiction, so I'd appreciate your opinions on the prologue here. I'll post the first chapter once I have a few reviews on this (or, if I don't get them, sometime later.), so please, review! Also, I don't own Soul Eater, just a fan writing for pleasure :)


	2. Trusting Strangers

Chiyumi let her steps slow and she fell further and further behind Professor Stein. _'Why? Why do I have to change classes? Why does a total stranger have to be my meister? Why did I even come here to begin with?'_ Chiyumi stopped walking and slumped against the wall, tears streaming down her face.

_"Pull it together, Chimi."_ Chiyumi's eyes flew open, but instead of seeing the academy hallway like she had anticipated, she was staring into her twin sister's green eyes. _"The people outside may be strangers, but they're waiting for you. They want to be your friends. Shouldn't you return their trust?"_

Chiyumi, overjoyed at seeing her sister managed to stammer out a, "Yes, of course, you're right Shiyumi." Before throwing her arms around Shiyumi's neck and bursting into tears, "I've missed you so much Shiyu! Please, don't leave me again!"

Professor Franken Stein blinked in shock as Chiyumi called him Shiyumi. He was even more shocked as Chiyumi threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, sobbing. As gently as he could, he pushed the sobbing girl away from him, only to catch her as she looked at him in shock and pain before fainting.

* * *

Chiyumi opened her eyes again to the interior of the DWMA's nurse's office, where she lay on a bed surrounded by ten people. She almost didn't fight off the urge to faint again.

_'I'm surrounded by strangers... this isn't good. Come on, Chimi, get up. Run. Flee. It's your only hope.' _Chiyumi closed her eyes again, frantically fighting off that urge as well, using Professor Stein's voice as something to anchor to, and tried to focus on what he was saying. It took her a second to understand that he was repeating her name, as if trying to get her attention.

Weakly she turned her head towards him, realizing with a start that the room was empty. Sitting up quickly she collapsed back on the bed, her breath beginning to come rapidly, clearly beginning to hyperventilate. _'Not another panic attack, Chimi. Relax. Deep breaths. You must have been remembering when you were brought in. Not now. Don't breathe so fast."_

"You're doing a remarkable job of talking yourself out of the panic attack, Chiyumi." Stein said without opening his eyes. Cracking one open he looked at her out of the corner of it. "Now tell me. For how long have you been having conversations with your dead sister."

Tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't talk to her, Professor. She talks to me... I know she's gone, so I ignore her... but earlier... I could see her... she was right there in front of me... then she was gone..." Looking at Stein she couldn't help but notice his eyes. Almost the same color as Shiyumi's.

"Shiyumi speaks to you?" Stein spun the chair so that he was facing Chiyumi, studying her. Reading her soul, he saw what he was afraid he'd see. There, sitting close to the center of Chiyumi's soul, was a shadow. An image even he had missed the first time. An angry version of Chiyumi, whispering into Chiyumi's ear.

"She warns me, Professor. I ignore her, but she's always right, she always has been. You don't understand! She's dead! It's not her." Chiyumi's hands clenched the sheets and she turned her face away to look out the window, registering that where it had been morning it was now sunset.

"Listen to me, Chiyumi. You have to believe that with all that you are. As long as you refer to the voice that you hear as Shiyumi, you'll always have it. And the one thing that you don't want to live with are voices in your head. Trust me on that one." A smirk played on his face.

"But... how? I know she's gone, but she's there. I don't understand it. I never have been able to." Chiyumi looked back at him. "I killed her... I don't know why she let me. She should have thrown me away, let me rust long before that happened! And we couldn't even stop the man who killed our parents. I killed her and she doesn't even know it..." Tears flowed from her eyes as she whispered, "I don't know what it's like to be alone."

Professor Stein reached up and turned the screw in his head until he felt the resounding clank, and repeated the process, his mind clearing. "Chiyumi, listen to me. You have to accept yourself that Shiyumi is dead. Only then will your soul be free from hers. Do you understand? It's not Shiyumi that you're hurting now. It's you."

Standing, Stein stretched. "It's time I go home. Nygus has requested that you stay here so that you can be observed. However, I spoke with her. You have the option to return to my lab with me instead of staying in the academy alone overnight. We both believed it may be more comfortable for you, knowing your fear of strangers."

Chiyumi thought for a second and wiped away her tears before replying. "I... I think I would like that."

_"He's a stranger, Chimi. You can't do this. You can't go to his home. He'll hurt you. Strangers always do. They can't be trusted!"_

_'Shut up, Shiyu.'_

Standing with a bit of assistance from Stein, Chiyumi swayed and blushed.

"What is it, Chiyumi?" Stein asked, his hand on her shoulder to help balance her.

"I haven't eaten today." She said with a laugh.

Stein blinked. "Neither have I. How odd. Well, perhaps a trip for food first before retiring."

Chiyumi smiled. "I would like that."

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Chiyumi felt like she was home. The reason why the foreboding, dark lab would feel comforting eluded her. But it didn't matter. This was a safe place. And, she felt like her old self, wandering into Stein's lab while he pulled out the to-go boxes of ramen he had ordered.

Stein walked into see her looking down at some of his more recent experiments, and chose not to interrupt her, turning the screw in his head instead. He stood out of sight as she walked around the lab, her fingers brushing a beaker here, a scalpel there, trailing along the cold metal of the tables. The smile on her face as she took it all in was contagious, and Stein felt himself smirking.

_'This is amazing!' _Chiyumi thought to herself. _'I can't believe all of this. Look! It's a detailed anatomy on a butterfly. A butterfly! And here's one on a cat!' _Chiyumi felt like she was dancing from one table to another, the hunger in her stomach completely forgotten in her delight. She forgot that she was in a stranger's home, walking around a stranger's lab, touching a stranger's things and let herself feel safe.

And that's when the pain hit her. The intensity of it made her stagger and hit her knees, and she couldn't even hear Stein call her name over the sudden pounding of blood in her ears and the sound of her own coughs as she spit up blood all over the concrete floor. She could hear an echo though, as she lost consciousness.

_"I warned you to never trust strangers, Chimi. And now I have to punish you."_

* * *

A/N: We're leading up to you finally meeting the Chiyumi that she's been trying to hide. She'll come out of her shell soon, if Shiyumi will let her ;)  
Also, I still don't own Soul Eater :-(


	3. She Wants To Trust

It happened fast. One second, he was watching her walk around his lab, smiling, and seemingly care free. The second, her soul pulsed and she was on the ground, crying out in pain and coughing up blood before he could even take a step. She was unconcious before he got to her, struggling to breathe through the blood pooling in her throat.

Professor Stein tried vainly to get her positioned to where the blood would run out. It was then that he did the only thing he could think of, as a doctor, to save her. Taking one of the scalpels from his lab table, he made a careful incision in her throat, and performed an emergency tracheotomy. He was rewarded when he felt a "gasp" come through the small metal pipe he had used.

_'Keep cutting. Dissect. See what's really hiding.'_ Stein's hand trembled for a moment before he dropped the scalpel and released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. Carefully lifting her, making sure to keep her head tilted so that the blood wouldn't reach the tube, Professor Stein walked to the small phone and made a call.

"Nygus. It's Stein. We have a problem. A major one. It's Chiyumi. I don't know if she'll make it through the night."

* * *

Sid and Nygus showed up fast. Both stopped cold when they saw the amount of blood on the floor of his lab, on his coat, and on her face.

"She hasn't stopped bleeding. I don't know her blood type." Stein looked up and, to their surprise, they could see fear in his eyes. "I have stores, but I don't know what's causing it. If I can't fix it, no matter how much blood I infuse she'll still bleed out."

"Stein," Nygus said quietly, "focus. The girl is alive. She's fighting now. What was she doing when this happened?"

"Walking. She was just walking around the lab, looking at it. Mira, she looked happy. Then she fell, screamed in pain and started coughing blood." Stein looked down at the pale girl he held in his arms. "I'm at a loss."

"You didn't open her up to see, Stein." Sid said.

"I couldn't trust myself to." Stein met Sid's gaze. "I needed someone else here."

"Then get prepped, Doctor. Sid can hold her in place until you're ready." Nygus stated. "Gloves, etc?" She asked, looking around.

"Gloves, top left desk drawer. Sink is to the right." Stein said, clearing off and sanitizing one of the stainless steel tables before getting himself prepped.

Stein took a deep breath as Sid placed Chiyumi's pale body onto the table, steadying his nerves. _You've done this hundreds of times, Franken. Why so nervous? Open the chest cavity, look for the blood loss. It's going to be obvious. Seal it off. Save her."_

It was all for nothing. As soon as the scalpel touched Chiyumi's flesh, the teenager opened her eyes and grabbed his hand.

"I wouldn't do that, Franken. Poor Chiyumi has a hard time trusting people." A sadistic smile spread across her face. "And she wants so much to trust you. Heh."

Nygus took a step back, looking at Stein questioningly.

"Shiyumi."

"Took you long enough to decide to actually save her, though I have to admit, the straw thing was pretty smart. Tracheotomy, right? But why would a stranger like you even care? And why bring these other two strangers into it?" The not-Chiyumi snapped her head to flick her hair away from her face as she pulled the metal tube out. "You're a fool if you think I'm going to let some strangers ruin my sister's life."

She lunged, the tube angled straight at Stein's throat, but Stein was faster. He moved his head just enough for it to miss, and his instincts kicked in. Before Sid or Nygus could move, Stein had both arms around Chiyumi holding her rigidly in place, and was already matching his soul's wavelength to Chiyumi's. He closed his eyes and...

* * *

...opened them unable to breathe. Panic set in first, then realization as he forced himself to take a breath. Looking around, he could see the top of the liquid he was floating in and swam up to it, breaking into air. He stood on a large, placid lake, and at each end he could see a small figure. They were identical to each other.

Unsure of which was which, Stein trusted instinct again and stepped towards the one on the right "Chiyumi!" He called.

A step was all he got. The figure on the left growled in rage and charged at him, knocking him off balance and both of them back into the liquid. Shock wore off quickly enough and Stein fought back to the surface.

"Shiyumi, enough!" The wet child before him glared daggers at him. "You would accuse us of ruining your sister's life? You? The sister who is dead? The one who is keeping her so afraid of new people that she faints in crowds of more than two? The one who haunts her every movement and thought? She said she doesn't know what being alone is like anymore. And** I **am the one ruining her life?"

Stein dropped into a fighting stance as Shiyumi charged him.

"She's my sister! She's all I have!" Tears blurred her eyes as she spun into a kick. "You won't take her from me!"

The battle was heated. Stein was at a disadvantage, having to play by the rules of someone else's soul. And he was losing.

Until Chiyumi stepped in.

"Shiyu! Please, stop! I'm sorry for what I did, but you have to stop! A stranger didn't kill you! I did!" Tears streamed down her face.

"I have to keep you safe!"

Chiyumi did something Stein hadn't expected. He was no longer unarmed. In his hand he now held the Vampire Blade.

* * *

A/N: I don't own the wonderful people that appear in this story that are property of whoever was brilliant enough to create soul eater. /sigh


	4. Trust Earned

Stein felt the pain as soon as Chiyumi transformed. It was as if someone was leeching away his very soul, his life force. He hit his knees and almost didn't block the blow that was angled at his neck.

Then it was gone. But so was everything else. Stein was on the floor of his lab, Sid and Nygus looking down at him and Chiyumi.

"Stein?" Sid started.

A scream interrupted him, and Chiyumi's eyes flew open, her back arching until they could hear the vertebrae cracking and popping. They were unprepared for what happened next.

Another form pulled itself from Chiyumi's body, one scream becoming two, then a horrendous silence broken only by the panting of breaths and then a very quiet whisper.

"Shiyumi..."

The other form growled in response, lunging not at Stein but at her sister. "You should have listened to me! I could have kept you safe! I told you you could never trust a stranger! Why, Chimi, why?"

Sid and Nygus darted around the table, but were too slow. They could only watch as Stein pushed Chiyumi behind himself and Shiyumi collided with him, a spray of blood hitting the air as Shiyumi was pushed backwards by Stein's soul wavelength.

The other girl stood unsteadily to her feet. Stein moved to hit her with his soul wavelength again only to find his way blocked by Chiyumi, tears flowing down her face.

"I... I have to. Help me."

Stein just nodded, bracing himself for the pain. It never came. He looked at the sword in his hand, and could sense just how much she was holding back, how hard she was trying to not hurt him.

_'Chiyumi. Don't hold back. We won't be able to win this if you're unwilling to do what has to be done.'_

His only answer was a hollow ache that seemed to fill his entire soul. While not as bad as it had been the first time, the ache grew and grew, and he knew it wouldn't take long for it to become unbearable.

_'Let's get this over with quickly. I'm sorry Chiyumi, I truly am.'_

_'I... know.'_

The battle was brief and brutal. Shiyumi was no match for the meister and his weapon, landing only a handful of hits, though one did cut Stein's arm deeply. Stein's lab, unfortunately, suffered for it more than either one did.

With a final slash, Stein cut through the girl, then stared at the floating red soul in front of him.

"A... kishin egg... hidden here..." He stammered out before hitting his knees and passing out.

* * *

It was early morning when Stein opened his eyes again, immediately jerking into a sitting position.

"Relax, Stein." Came Sid's voice from his left. "Kid's asleep on the couch in the next room. You needed a few stitches for that wound on your arm. Nygus patched you up. That was pretty crazy back there."

Stein swung his feet off the side of the table, standing up. "My glasses."

"On your desk. Nygus is off at the DWMA now speaking with Lord Death about last night. She took the soul with her. Didn't think that offering to left Chiyumi eat it would be the most appropriate thing, since it is her sister's after all."

"You're probably right. How long was I out?"

"About 3 hours, Stein." Sid paused as Stein knocked a cigarette out of the box and lit up. "I've always been a curious man, that's just the type of man I was. How did that happen? We both saw her go to attack you, then it was like time stopped for the two of you. Next thing we know, she's peeling out of her sister's body like a banana. What happened?"

"I wish I could tell you Sid. But, I think that's something Chiyumi would have to tell you." Stein flexed his hand, feeling the stitches in his arm pull tight. Stein took a deep drag on the cigarette before exhaling and turning to walk into the other room.

* * *

Chiyumi woke a few minutes before Stein walked into check on her, but made sure to keep her breathing smooth and steady, old habits dying hard. It was hard to keep the ruse going when she heard them talk about her sister's soul, but she did.

"I know you're awake, Chiyumi. Your soul is quivering." Stein said quietly.

She opened her eyes, pulling back when she realized that he was kneeling down right in front of her.

"I... I'm sorry. I tried to warn you. I told you what would happen. That I could hurt you." Chiyumi whispered, tears welling unbidden in her eyes. "And now... now Shiyu's gone forever again. But... thank you... and I'm so sorry."

Stein tilted his head, trying to understand, and reached up to crank the screw in his head. "Stop apologizing. That fight would have gone a lot longer if you hadn't done what you did. Now, I don't know about you, but that ramen should reheat well, and neither of us have eaten. Perhaps you would like to see if Sid would join us?"

The smile that Stein wore was perhaps the most sincere one he had ever had.

The ramen did, indeed, reheat well, though Chiyumi couldn't help but smile as Stein reheated it over a Bunsen Burner in beakers. They ate in silence, with Sid politely refusing any food. Nygus returned about 45 minutes after they had awoke, bearing news that Lord Death would like to speak with them.

* * *

Nervously, Chiyumi stood behind Stein as they waited on Lord Death to make his appearance.

"Well, hello, hello, hello, wazzup?" Called an unnaturally cheerful voice from the mirror.

"You asked to see us, I believe." Stein stated.

"Yes, I did. It seems that you had a bit of a breakthrough last night, didn't you Chiyumi?" Lord Death asked gently.

Chiyumi gulped and whispered, "Yes, sir."

"Well that's just wonderful! Now that you're over that dreadful fear, you should attend the upcoming festivities!"

Stein spoke up. "You asked us here to invite Chiyumi to a party. Seriously?"

"Oh, well, yes. And to congratulate you and her on her first soul. Did you enjoy it? Only 98 more to go!"

Sid coughed.

"She gave it up." Stein said quietly.

"Oh, well, I see then! Anyway, carry on!" And the mirror stopped showing Lord Death.

Stein turned to Sid and Nygus. "I thought he had something important to say. A waste of time." He turned and left quickly, with Chiyumi moving swiftly beside him.

"Now, that was interesting, Nygus." Came Lord Death's voice once more as he stepped out from behind the mirror.

"I thought you would be interested in seeing it for yourself."

"Yes, yes, I was. I never thought that I would see Stein's soul so wrapped around one person as it was before Marie's untimely death." Lord Death through up the Victory sign. "That solves that!"

Sid and Nygus left smiling.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know its sacrilegious to have Stein without Marie... and I miss her :( But, keep your heads up! She's gone for a reason ;) Also, Soul eater is not my intellectual property. /sad


	5. Eight Years Later

"Professor! You have to see this! It's simply astonishing!" Chiyumi's voice called from across the lab.

"What is it, Chimi?" Stein said, smirking.

"Don't call me that..." She mumbled.

"Well, what is it?" He said, walking over.

"Look here. This is the diagram that the machine produced of your soul's wavelength, measured at varying times of the day over the last three days. Your soul's wavelength's power increased consistently over that time. It means that it's working!" She gave him a sadistic smile.

"Heh. So it is. And remarkably faster than we had initially anticipated. Your up next, by the way. If it's working so well on me, the effects should greatly improve your condition." Her smile shattered.

"Still afraid? There's no need for that. I thought you learned years ago to trust me." Another of Stein's sincere smiles. "You know I won't hurt you."

"Every soul is different, Professor. What if something goes wrong? Your soul is much stronger and more stable than mine is, even now." There was fear glinting in her eyes now.

"Nothing will go wrong." Stein wrapped his arms around her, giving her a tight hug. "I promise."

* * *

Stein gave Chiyumi's hand a quick squeeze as he slid the needle into her vein. Within seconds, she was unconscious, and Stein was free to begin the work necessary to strengthen her failing soul.

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body." Professor Stein sighed. "Well, her mind is sound, but even eight years after the incident with her sister, her body still isn't."

Stein looked down at the pale, fragile looking woman on the operating table, following each of the scars on her body with his eyes. "This should have to be the last one, Chiyumi..."

It was hard going work. Stein had to make sure that not only did his scalpel not slip, but also that the resonance between their souls didn't. One slip, and everything would be ruined. Fortunately, Stein was highly skilled at this, and it wasn't his first time operating on her. A little over an hour later, Stein was stitching the cut back up, the medication resting directly below her celiac plexus.

Cleaning up the mess around and on her, Stein gently picked the still unconscious Chiyumi up and, giving her yet another sincere smile, carried her to the room she had claimed in his home so many years prior.

* * *

_**Eight years prior**_

"Professor Stein?" Stein looked up as he heard Chiyumi's small voice speak up.

"Yes?"

"Could I ask a favor of you?" She looked down and to the left and blushed.

"What is it?"

"Well... I've talked with some of the other meister and weapon pairs. Most of them live with their partner. They say it helps with their soul resonances. And... we're both living alone right now..." Her blush turned a darker red.

Stein blinked. "Are you sure this is something you would want, Chiyumi. You are a student here yet and I am still a teacher. It could cause some talk."

"I know that. It's just... I feel safe there... It... It feels like home."

Stein turned the screw in his til he felt the resound clank. "If it is that important to you, then it's fine, Chiyumi."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bobbed a half bow. "Thank you so much!"

"Get your stuff and I'll help you move later tonight."

As she left, Stein shook his head. _'Why are you doing this, Stein? She's not Marie. Neither are you. It'd be best if you just left her alone.'_

Then he surprised himself by responding, _'Because she's important to me.' _He began turning the screw again.

Helping her move was easier than Stein had anticipated. She had one suitcase of clothing and two boxes of personal items, most of which weren't very personal, plates, bowls and that sort of thing.

Arriving at his home, he showed her upstairs and told her she could have her pick of either of the two empty storage rooms he had, never dreaming that something would draw her to Marie's old room. But something did, and she looked at him with an expression on her face that he has never been able to decipher and told him that she wanted to stay there. He couldn't say no.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Chiyumi woke with a start, a new ache in her lower abdomen. Moving to sit up, she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Let's not tear these stitches like you did the last ones, eh?" Stein said, his eyes still closed.

"Have you been sitting there the whole time?" She asked, the disbelief evident in her voice. "I know full well how long it takes me to wake from the anesthetic. It's been what, an hour or so for the surgery and then me out for the next five?"

"Four and a half this time. Your soul was vibrating though, you looked as if you were having a bad dream."

She blinked. "I was."

"Well?"

"You know, you sound an awful lot like my father when you do that. He would always be there when I had a particularly bad dream, calming me down and asking what it was about." She said laughing.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. _'And you're an awful lot like the daughter I never got to have... with... Marie...'_ His pained expression must have showed more than he expected.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly, turning her face away from him.

He didn't know what else to say, and the next few minutes passed in awkward silence before Chiyumi tried once again to sit up.

"What do you think you're doing? You'll pull the stitches out again." Stein said, his hand still resting on her shoulder, pushing her back down on the bed.

"Two things. I have to pee, and I'm hungry." She looked up at him. "I don't think you want to have to change the sheets because of the first. And I still don't believe you know how to cook anything but Ramen."

Standing, Stein bent over the bed, carefully picking her up and started to carry her over to the bathroom.

"Oh, come on now! I'm a grown woman, that isn't called for! I can walk."

"Two weeks of paperwork for the DWMA says that if I set you down now, Chiyumi, you'd fall before you took 5 steps and reopen at least two of the stitches." He said, pausing.

"You're on."

Stein placed her feet on the ground and smiled as she took only 2 steps before her knees buckled. He caught her before she fell, a sadistic grin plastered across his face.

"I told you." He said as he picked her back up.

"Joke's on you. You said '... and reopen at least two of the stitches.' None of them reopened. Enjoy your paperwork."

Stein laughed.

Even now, eight years after Chiyumi had asked to move into his home, and nine years after Marie had died, Professor Stein still missed Marie. He knew the name of the emotion he was feeling, "Love."

He also knew that he loved Chiyumi, though not in the same way as he knew he had loved Marie. And this was information that had take a while to process. Looking at her across the table as she slowly ate the ramen he had prepared he mentally sighed, wondering if Lord Death had seen this when he asked Stein to partner with the unstable child.

* * *

_**Eight years prior**_

"Stein, I want you to partner with the new girl, Tsukana Chiyumi. She needs someone to help train her that can withstand her abilities."

"Is that all, Lord Death?" Stein asked, exhaling a bout of smoke.

"No. Be wary around her, Stein. She's not as stable as she appears to be."

A sadistic smile spread across Stein's face and he moved to leave.

"Perhaps I'll dissect her then."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

Three days had passed since the operation, and Stein was eager to see the results for himself. He could already see the changes in her soul, and her skin tone was brightening up as well.

"Alright, lets get you hooked up."

Chiyumi smiled, laying down in her hospital gown as Stein fixed the pads to her chest so he could monitor her heart, then placed another set on her chakra points. Stein then turned both machines on and told Chiyumi to just relax. She nodded, and Stein smiled to himself to see that she fell asleep within minutes.

The results from the machines was very promising. It looked like, after eight long years, Stein had finally found a way to help his poor child.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for jumping around in time so much there, trying to build up how things came to be! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and review if you want! Thanks! Also, Soul Eater and its character's aren't mine :(


	6. Nightmares and Family

The scream that tore through the dark night was filled with desperation, anguish, and above all else, fear. The sound of it filled Dr. Stein with terror, and he bolted out of his lab before its echo had died down. The second scream pushed him even faster, and he slammed the door to Chiyumi's room open, Soul Menace already gathered around his hands, eyes furiously looking for the enemy.

Chiyumi sat upright in the middle of the bed, her back arched at a painful angle, her head tilted as far back as possible. And she screamed again, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Stein couldn't match his wavelength to hers.

Soul Menace faded from his hands, as he moved swiftly to her side, wrapping his arms around her, afraid to wake her, but unwilling to let her remain in whatever dream she was trapped in.

He still couldn't match her wavelength.

Another scream, and he heard a wet popping sound only a second before he felt the blood from her torn stitches soak into his pants. He shook her, trying desperately to break her out of the dream.

But he still couldn't match her wavelength.

Pressing his hand to the popped stitches he tried to apply enough pressure to keep them from bleeding, but not so much that he hurt her. "Chiyumi. Calm down. Listen to me. I'm here. It's just a dream." He felt unexpected moisture on his cheeks.

And he still couldn't match her damn wavelength!

"Chiyumi!" He shouted at her, starting to panic.

"P-papa?" The voice was small, quiet, and wracked with pain. "Papa, it hurts!"

Stein's breath caught in his throat. Chiyumi's eyes were still clenched tightly shut, her head thrown back, her breathing coming in fits and starts.

"Papa, make it stop!" She cried, arching back into another scream.

And, finally, desperately, he matched her wavelength.

The difference was instantaneous. Chiyumi collapsed whimpering, Stein barely able to catch her before she fell. "It hurts, papa. It hurts..." She whispered, one hand moving to her side where the stitches had popped. Then she passed out.

Stein stared down at her. At the ragged tatters of the nightmare that hung on her soul. At the twisted reflection he had seen for a second.

And felt a tear run down his cheek for the pain he had seen.

* * *

Chiyumi woke up the next afternoon, tired and worn out, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. An emptiness seemed to fill her however, something different than just the everyday 'I'm awake and hungry' pain. She didn't want to move though, but she could hear someone breathing, slowly and deeply, very close to her.

Turning her head, she saw Dr. Stein asleep in his lab chair, right next to her bed, the knuckles of his right hand wrapped in a bandage. She also saw a hole in the wall at about the same height and position as the door knob would be when the door was fully opened. There were also fresh bandages wrapped around her waist, and blood on the bandages, the bed, and Stein's lab coat. Her blood, she realized with a shock.

_'Did he experiment on me while I was asleep?'_ Chiyumi shook her head. _'No... he would have taken me to the lab to perform it and never been this careless if he had.' _She gingerly touched her left side, cringing at the onslaught of pain it brought.

Starting to move she realized something odd. There was pressure on her right hand. Looking down at it, she suppressed a gasp. Stein's left hand that she hadn't seen just by turning her head was holding onto hers. The effect was... comforting.

Sighing, she carefully disentangled her hand from his, not wanting to wake him. She slowly stood, feeling the weakness in her knees, and only managed three wobbling steps before she had to stop and regain her balance. A few more steps, and she was breathing heavily, hand on her side, the pain almost unbearable.

"Chiyumi." She felt Stein's hands on her shoulders. "You shouldn't be up and moving around. You reopened your stitches last night. You have to rest." His voice sounded tired, if she didn't know him better she'd even say worried.

"I'm hungry. And bodily functions call again." She said, his hands the only thing keeping her from falling at that moment.

"I have a wheel chair, it'll make having to move around easier on you." He picked her up, bridal style, careful of her stitched side. "I'll get it while you go to the restroom, then I'll go and fix something for us to eat."

Stein carried her to the small restroom outside her room, and sat her down right outside it. "I'll be right here in a second, I'm just going to retreive the chair from downstairs." She gave a small nod.

_'He's being so careful of me? What happened?'_

_"Dummy." A voice whispered in her head. "He doesn't care. He's just lulling you into a false sense of security."_

_'You're dead, Shiyu. Stay that way.'_

_"You're so mean to me... Chimi..."_

Shaking her head Chiyumi finished and washed her hands, carefully. Then stepped out to find Professor Stein already waiting on her with the wheelchair.

"Professor?" She asked as she gingerly sat down in the chair.

"Yes, Chiyumi?"

"What happened? Where did the blood come from, how did I reopen my stitches?" She looked at him as he pushed her back into her room.

"You were having a nightmare. I heard you screaming and rushed in to find you sitting up in bed, your body contorting as you screamed about the pain. You ripped the stitches before I could calm you down." He was staring straight ahead as he spoke before coming around to help lift her out of the chair.

"What are you leaving out?"

"Nothing, really. Just that I had to restitch them and then decided to put a bandage over them as well. I'll need to check later for signs of infection." He didn't meet her eyes.

"You're lying."

"It's not important, Chiyumi."

"Tell me then."

"You... called me Papa." He looked up at her. "Hardly something important and I was going to spare you the embarrassment."

"I'm not embarrassed, Professor. Why should I be? You took me in when I was thirteen years old after my parents were killed in a home invasion and my sister died. I've lived with you for the last eight years. You're the closest thing I have to family. You certainly take care of me as well as my father would have."

Stein blinked. He then picked her up and placed her back into her bed. "Call if you need anything, I'll bring some food up shortly."

"Professor? Thank you."

He left the room.

* * *

_"You're the closest thing I have to family."_ Professor Stein kept hearing that play over and over is in head as he prepared a simple meal of hot broth and noodles.

_'Why?'_ He wondered to himself. '_Why would she say that? Of course she has family. It's highly unlikely that both of her parents were only children, and even more unlikely that her grandparents are already all dead. So why claim me as the closest thing she has left as family? It makes no sense..'_

He was getting ready to take the tray of food up to Chiyumi when someone knocked on the door.

"Yes?" He asked coolly, the door open about halfway before he saw who it was.

"Spirit, what are you doing here?"

"Stein, you missed a very important meeting today by not coming to the DWMA."

"I let Sid know I wouldn't be able to make it."

"Stein. I don't think you understand how important this meeting was. Oceania's Death Scythe was in attendance."

"And? I can't stand that pig." Stein snarled and stepped aside so Spirit could enter.

"Not that one, Stein. Sit down."

"Why?"

"It's Marie."

* * *

A/N:  
Duh, duh, duh! Told you it would be important later :)  
I don't own soul eater /sigh  
Review if you'd like!


	7. An Unexpected Visitor

"Marie?" Stein whispered collapsing into his chair. "Spirit, Marie is dead. I know this. I watched it happen. I couldn't stop it."

Spirit sat down across from Stein. "We all thought that. It was a trick. The only people who knew she wasn't dead were Lord Death and Marie herself. It was to keep her safe." There was compassion in Spirit's eyes. "She came back for you, Stein. Lord Death finally agreed that it was safe enough, that the threat had passed so she came back. For you."

"You're lying. I'm falling into Madness and it's a lie." Stein whispered. "I have to pull it together. Chiyumi needs her food. Marie is dead. You are not here."

Spirit reached and touched Stein's shoulder. "I'm sorry this so upsetting, but you really should at least come to see her at the DWMA. She'll be waiting for you." He stood and left, quietly closing the door behind him.

* * *

Stein blinked at the door, and looked down at the tray of food in his hands. _'A hallucination?'_ He thought to himself. _'There's no plausible way that Marie is alive. Spirit wasn't here. It was a hallucination brought on by a lack of sleep and overwork. Yes. That's it.'_

Stein carefully brought the food up to Chiyumi's room, knocking lightly on the door before entering. She looked up at him, smiling weakly as she sat the notebook and pen down that she had been writing with. He noted that she had managed to prop herself up.

"Ramen?" She asked with a half laugh.

"No, noodles in beef broth." He smirked.

"So… same thing." She laughed.

"Yes. You should be able to feed yourself; I'll be just downstairs if you need me."

"Thank you, Professor." She said, watching as he placed the tray with her food on across her legs.

After he left, Chiyumi felt the ache that she had woke up with grow, and clutched the bed to keep from passing out as it overwhelmed her. The bowl of ramen clattered to the ground, broth and noodles spilling across the floor.

Professor Stein wasn't even half way down the stairs when he heard the bowl fall and Chiyumi's voice raise into a scream.

* * *

"She's seizing again." The voice was calm, cold, professional.

Stein stood in the doorway to the hospital room, feeling completely useless. He could see what the doctors couldn't, the one thing that they had to be able to understand in order to help her.

Spirit placed his hand on Stein's shoulder. "She's in good hands, Stein. They'll figure out what's going on."

"If I couldn't what makes you think for an instant that these untrained louts will be able to?" Stein's voice was low and menacing, his head down, the light glinting off his glasses concealing his eyes.

"Sir?" That same cold voice. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're afraid that your presence is upsetting the patient even further."

Stein stood up straight and glared down at the man. "My presence is the only thing that is keeping her calm enough to not slice all of you into small pieces. I will not be leaving." His voice was cold and hard. Menacing.

"Stein, take a deep breath. She's not even aware of her surroundings right now." Spirit pulled Stein's shoulder back a bit. "Let's go grab a cup of coffee. It's not doing you any good to see her like this."

"No."

"Stein."

"I said no. That is the end of this conversation, Spirit." Stein turned back to watch as Chiyumi seized again, her small body wracked by the powerful convulsions. Looking past that he looked at her soul, feeling a tightening in his chest as each seizure seemed to weaken it even more. He didn't know what to do. He just couldn't understand what was happening.

'_I took the medication first. I was the lab rat, not her.'_ He thought. _'Whatever reaction she is having to it I should be having as well.'_

"But haven't you already had reactions, Stein?" A familiar, feminine voice asked, a hand resting on his back.

"Marie. You're dead."

"Am I Stein? I seem to be right here. You can feel my wavelength right beside you. I know you can." She moved into his field of vision, her hand trailing along to his chest, smiling up at him. "I've missed you Stein."

"You're dead." He looked away and back at Chiyumi. "That's the 4th seizure in the last twenty minutes," he said quietly.

Marie looked over her shoulder. "She's going to die. You can't stop that."

"Marie would never say that." He said gently. "She would tell me that I would find a way to save her, that she had faith in me." He glanced down at her, a sadistic smile playing across his features. "Now tell me who you really are and what've you done to Chiyumi."

* * *

Spirit blinked in surprise as Stein walked away from the door, a blank expression on his face. Glancing back into the room where Chiyumi lay, he quickly followed Stein, only to lose him a second later. By the time he had caught up with him outside Stein was face to face with a woman that closely resembled Chiyumi, though it was obvious that she was missing some stitches that were visible on Chiyumi.

"Stein?"

"Spirit, get back." Stein's voice was… hate filled and his entire body looked tense.

"Shiyumi." Stein said, his voice dripping acid. "You're dead. Stay that way. Don't try to take the shape of other people to fool us. It won't work. Let your sister go."

"Stein."

"Spirit, stay back!"

"Aww, isn't it so sweet that you're still so protective of that little brat? She's my sister after all. Not your daughter. Though, I believe that you would enjoy that wouldn't you, Papa Stein?" The grin was sadistic, filled with malice. "I've let you have her for the last eight years. Time to share."

She lunged.

"Stein!" Spirit leapt towards his partner, transforming into a Scythe. Stein brought the weapon up just in time to block, and Spirit couldn't help but gasp at the pain the attack brought.

"Spirit?" Stein asked, falling back into a defensive stance, noticing with shock the blood dripping from the blade.

"It's nothing." Spirit's pained voice came as he appeared in the weapons blade, one eye closed against the flow of blood. "She's a witch."

"Yes, I had figured as much." Stein said.

"Aren't you two the smart ones?" She smirked. "But, I'd rather not have this out here. And I think you've forgotten about someone."

The witch took two running steps before leaping into the air turning into a small mockingbird, laughing as she called back, "I'm not that easy to kill, Stein."

Stein leaned wearily against the wall as Spirit came out of his Scythe form, blood running from a bad slash on the top of his head. "Are you alright, Spirit?" Stein asked quietly.

"I'm just glad we're already at the hospital and I don't have to let you cut me open again." Spirit replied with a slight laugh.

"Yes, well, good luck explaining the cut. I have to get back to Chiyumi." Stein went to walk away.

"I fell." He said, shrugging. "The nurses are cute, they'll buy it."

They both walked back in, Stein to Chiyumi's room and Spirit to the ER.


	8. We Do What We Must

Stein smelled the blood before he opened the door to the room. Opening it, he stared at a scene of blood and gore that would rival any horror movie's darkest nightmare. It didn't bother him. What bothered him was that Chiyumi was sitting in the middle of it all, giggling quietly, three souls held in her small hands. It looked as if she was trying to juggle them, and each time one fell she broke into more giggles.

"Chiyumi?" Stein asked quietly, taking a couple steps into the room.

"Papa. Bright shinies. Want one? I share." She smiled at him with a childlike innocence.

This was not his Chiyumi. He knew that immediately. Something had happened while he was outside, and that witch must have been the cause.

"Chiyumi, what did you do?" The young woman looked around the room.

"I wanted something to play with. They were being mean. They said bad words about you, Papa. I had to punish them." Her eyes flashed when she said that. "So I got toys to play with and punished them at the same time!" Her grin was frightening.

"Chiyumi," Stein started quietly. "Can I see your toys, please? I think they may be dirty."

The young woman looked at him thoughtfully. "You won't break them?"

"No." Stein thought to himself desperately, _'Death, let her give them to me. The last thing we need is for her to eat a human soul.'_

"You promise?" She held the three souls protectively close to herself.

"I promise, Chimi."

A spark of recognition flashed through her soul. "Don't call me that."

"Chimi."

"That's not my name!"

"Chimi." Stein could see her growing angry, but he could see the ripple each time he said that. _'It makes sense.' _Stein thought to himself._ 'She's always been upset when I called her that. It's what her sister called her.'_

"I've told you not to call me that!" Her anger got the best of her and she threw the souls at him. "Why do you keep doing that?!"

It was only then that her eyes focused on the carnage around her and the three souls that he barely caught. She collapsed backwards on the bed, seizing again. Once again, Stein could only watch helplessly.

The seizure was a short one, and much less violent than the last ones had been. At the end of it she lay on the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks; her breathing ragged and broken.

Stein didn't know what to do now. Chiyumi had just killed three men. Had admitted to murdering them in cold blood. He couldn't leave her here, but the only other option was to take her to Lord Death, which would be just a swift death sentence as here. He stood there mutely, twisting the screw in his head.

"P-professor…" She sobbed out. "I… I know what I've done… please… please take me to Lord Death…" He looked down at her.

"Alright, Chiyumi…" He said quietly, gathering her small frame in his arms he stood and left the hospital with her.

* * *

"What a surprise, Professor!" Lord Death greeted them when Stein simply walked into the death room carrying Chiyumi. "Is everything alright?"

"No." Lord Death titled his head as Stein continued. "We have a rather large problem-"

Chiyumi, standing unsteadily beside Stein now, interrupted him. "Lord Death, I lost myself. I killed three innocent men who were doing nothing but try to help me." Her voice was small, but firm.

Silence.

"Oh, my." Lord Death turned to look at the mirror. "Oh, dear. This isn't good. I need some time to think on this. Stein… I'm sorry, but she's going to have to stay here down below."

"We figured as much, Lord Death." Stein replied.

"I'll have Sid take her down. You can stay behind for a moment, please." Lord Death never turned around.

* * *

After Chiyumi left with Sid, Lord Death turned back around to face Stein.

"You have their souls, Stein?" Stein blinked for a moment. Lord Death's voice was… wrong. It was sinister and deep.

"Lord Death?"

"The souls of the ones that she killed, Stein? Did she eat them or do you have them?" His voice was back to its happy, cheerful self.

"Erm, yes. I have them." He handed the souls to Lord Death. "What will happen to her?" Stein asked.

"She's killed three innocent individuals. While she didn't consume their souls, there will be those who lobby for her death."

"What about your opinion?"

"I didn't have you killed when you slipped, Stein, even if it meant that you had sided with a witch." Lord Death flashed a Victory Sign with both hands, the souls already released to their final resting place. "I'll do everything that I can to help her, but if it does go the way we hope, you'll have to watch her closely. The madness that you fought off so long ago seems to be welling up all around us again."

"I understand." Stein turned and left.

"Oh, and Stein? Guard yourself."

"Yes, Lord Death."

* * *

Chiyumi sat on the small bed, her arms wrapped around her legs when she felt the ache grow larger and larger inside her. She didn't know what was causing it, just that the only time in the last couple days that she hadn't felt it was when she had held those souls in her hands. As she held her breath trying to fight it she saw a small bird land on the window of her cell, and she shuddered. Something about the bird felt wrong... and the way it constantly watched her definetly was.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty dry on where I'm taking this, so updates will be slow for a while, but they'll come.**

**I don't own Soul Eater.**


	9. Homecoming

"Chimi, I missed you." A voice said suddenly.

Chiyumi looked up from where she lay nearly asleep face down on the bed. There was no one near.

"I truly have missed you, even after what you did to me." The voice was closer, yet Chiyumi still couldn't see anyone. She sat upright, placing her back to the wall, one arm turning into a blade.

"Really, Chimi?" The voice was right in her ear now. "You would draw a weapon against me of all people? I thought you loved me… sister…" Chiyumi whipped her head to the side, but the voice was already coming from her other side.

"Shiyu, you're dead!" Chiyumi finally shouted out, her eyes closed as she did. When she reopened them, standing in front of her was her sister. "It's another trick." Chiyumi whispered.

"Oh, Chimi. It's no trick. I've missed you, even after what you did. And I love you still. I've come to take you away from this terrible, terrible place. I've come to rescue you so we can be a family again." Shiyumi smiled sweetly, holding her hand out to Chiyumi. "I've come to make the pain stop, I can show you how."

Chiyumi looked up as something washed over her and she giggled. "No more pain, sis? Just like before?"

"No more pain, Chimi. I promise you." Shiyumi's eye glinted black in the dull light of morning. "You'll never feel that pain again. I'll take it away."

Chiyumi gigged, reaching out to take her sister's hand. Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she knew this was wrong, that it wasn't right. She mentally screamed for help even as she went willing to her sister's embrace.

* * *

*knock*

Silence.

*knock, knock*

"Chiyumi?"

Silence.

*knock, knock, knock*

"This isn't the time for games, Chiyumi." *The rattle of keys*

Silence.

The door creaked open slowly as Sid pulled the keys from the lock. "You shouldn't be playing games right now, Chiyumi, this is a serious matter."

The room was empty.

* * *

"Stein!" Sid's voice broke through the scientists concentration and he dropped the vial he was holding, cursing at the sudden intrusion.

"What is it, Sid?" He asked, looking down at the shards of glass and spilled liquid.

"Chiyumi's gone. She disappeared last night. Lord Death has every able meister in the city looking for her. Seems he's actually angry over her disappearance, and wants her found immediately." Sid was breathing hard; it was obvious that he'd ran the entire way here.

Stein stood without a word and grabbed his lab coat. Leaving Sid behind him he went to leave and join the search when an arm snaked out in front of him.

"Wouldn't want you to go without a weapon at your side, Stein." Came the familiar voice.

"Then let's go, Senpai." Stein said, walking through the door.

* * *

"She won't be in the city." Was all that Stein said as they walked, heading away from the lab and the city proper. "She'll have ran somewhere else."

"Why would she have ran, Stein?" Spirit asked, hands in his pockets, matching the taller man's stride.

"She may not have. We faced a witch, remember? It's possible that Chiyumi was taken against her will." The light reflected off of his glasses and Stein sighed.

"I'm sure that you're right, Stein. After all, they hadn't sentenced her or anything and Lord Death himself seemed to want to give her another chance. She was obviously not herself when she killed those three men."

Stein stopped. "Senpai, Lord Death said he wasn't going to tell anyone the details of why she was being held captive. Including you." Spirit stepped back from Stein. "How could you know that? Only Lord Death and myself knew what happened."

"It's all over the news, Stein." Spirit hesitated. "Three men killed in a hospital, the only suspects a silver haired man with a screw and the patient? How could you have missed that?"

"I must be getting paranoid, Spirit." Stein said lazily, lighting a cigarette, then holding the pack out to Spirit.

Spirit took one, pulling a lighter from his own pocket and lit the cigarette. "You always have been, Stein."

"That's why I have you, Senpai. To make sure that the madness doesn't get any worse."

"I sure hope it doesn't." Spirit joked. "It becomes pretty painful to be your weapon partner when it does."

Stein's was a mirthless chuckle. The two men walked out into the deserts surrounding Death City, and on a whim from Stein, headed southwest.

* * *

The next few days took a toll. Neither man was a stranger to this kind of travel, and they had stopped to get supplies necessary for survival, but Stein wasn't one to make any type of conversation, especially now. And each night, Stein had a new nightmare.

The first one was a generic one; walking down an endless hall, intense heat searing the soles of his bare feet. The rush of cool air that he almost couldn't bear to feel the only promise of escape, seeming to come from a door that never got any closer.

The second one woke Stein in a cold sweat.

_Chiyumi sat in a small cell, smaller even than the one that she had had at the DWMA. The sky was black outside with storm clouds, and the rain was pouring down, filling the small room. As Stein watched, the water buoyed her small body up and dashed it against the walls until she was high enough to reach the barred window and hold herself in place._

_Through it all he could see each of the scars he had given her highlighted briefly, with her crying out in pain each time one was illuminated. As the last scar was illuminated she turned to look in the direction that he was watching from, tears flowing down her cheeks, almost invisible against the splash of water._

"_She promised you wouldn't hurt me again. Why are you chasing us?" She asked as the water rushed up and over her head, filling her mouth even as she finished speaking and let go of the bars, sinking down in the dark, swirling water. _

_Stein dove for her, but couldn't find the bottom of the cell now, or see where she could have gone. Before he awoke he could feel the burning in his lungs, certain that he was going to drown before he reached air._

He sat up, covered in a cold sweat that chilled him even in the heat of the night. Spirit looked over from where he was on watch and just arched his eyebrow. "Bad dream?"

"You could say that, Senpai. How long til sunrise?"

Spirit looked down at his watch. "About 45 minutes."

Stein rose to his feet, staggering a bit. Spirit reached out a hand to steady him, "You alright, Stein?"

"I'm fine. Let's get started early." Spirit looked across the dark landscape and just sighed.

* * *

Chiyumi looked around the room that she sat in, recognizing it and then forgetting how she did. _"Shiyu says this is my room." _She thought, looking around. _"But something looks off…"_ Try as hard as she could, she couldn't figure out why it was wrong.

"Chimi, supper!" Her mother's voice echoed up the stairs, and Chiyumi hopped to her feet, a happy smile on her face as she rushed down to her waiting family.

"_Stitches." _She stopped in mid hop, landing on one of the stairs, a memory clicking. _"The stitches are missing…" _The memory lasted but a moment, and Chiyumi giggled as she raced down to have some of her mother's meatloaf.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you all enjoyed the latest installment for Tsukana Chiyumi. I'll try to update it asap. Thank Revengest for the inspiration that pushed for this.**

**I don't own Soul Eater.**


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